Hi, everyone. Light blogging tonight, as I’ve been fully occupied trying to help Miss D. with her wing re-sparring issues.
She’s rebuilding a 1941 Taylorcraft light observation plane. The wings consist of aluminum ribs covered with fabric. At their heart are two wooden spars, a thick, deep one at the front and a smaller one at the rear. She had new spars made, but unfortunately the spars for a Taylorcraft varied over the years, and she was given spars for a 1970’s-vintage model instead of her just-before-World-War-II variant. Her wings’ ribs wouldn’t fit over a double reinforcing plate in the spar.
No real problem, though. She got hold of the expert who made the spars, and today I ran them up there, towing them on a long trailer hitched behind Jenny’s Jeep. It’s a two-hour run from here to there, through some very beautiful country, and I enjoyed the drive. On arrival, the builder set to work with chisel, pliers, plane and sander, and soon had the extra reinforcing plate off the offending parts of the spars. A touch of polyurethane sealant later, and time out for a community lunch while it dried, and we wrapped them up, loaded them on thetrailer, and I headed back.
The spars are now within spec for a 1941 Taylorcraft, and Miss D. and I will be building wings over the next week to ten days. I look forward to learning a lot – including verifying that bit about Adam’s rib and aircraft spars!
More blogging tomorrow, I promise (wings permitting!).
Peter
It is a joy to use ones hands to create. I guess over the years I have built about anything that can be made from wood EXCEPT an aircraft. And that wood be fun-!Especially a Falco! (Stelio Frati's Ferrari of the air)
If you ever get the chance to visit the Boeing Museum in Seattle, be sure to check out the Jenny that is there- it is completely restored, sans fabric- apparently folks were so impressed with the woodwork that the museum decided to leave it uncovered. An absolutely amazing collection of spars, gussets, bronze nails, and wire.
Mmmmmmm! Rib-stitching!
The smell of nitrate dope and thinners!
Old airplane heaven!
MC
Enjoy the hands on, and enjoy the companionship!